WO2019123997A1 - Roller chain - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a bush (23) protrudes a predetermined amount further than outer side surfaces (22a) of inner plates (22), end faces (23b) of the protruding bush (23) abut inner side surfaces (27b) of outer plates (27), and predetermined gaps (F) are formed between the outer side surfaces (22a) of the inner plates (22) and the inner side surfaces (27b) of the outer plates (27). Consequently, the predetermined gaps (F) are ensured between the inner plates (22) and the outer plates (27) and oil reservoirs (35) are formed around bush protruding parts (23a). Lubricating oil (O) is introduced from the oil reservoirs (35) to a bearing part (11).

Description

Roller chain

The present invention relates to a roller chain for transportation or power transmission, and more particularly to a roller chain without a seal. In the present invention, the roller chain is not limited to the narrow roller chain in which the roller is fitted in the bush, and a so-called bush chain from which the roller is omitted is also included in the roller chain.

Generally, as shown in FIG. 6, the roller chain 1 has an inner link 6 in which both ends of a pair of inner plates 2 and 2 are connected by a bushing 3 and the roller 5 is fitted on the bushing 3; An outer link 10 in which both ends of the outer plates 7, 7 are connected by pins 9 is endlessly connected by inserting the pins 9 into the bush 3. The roller chain 1 travels by meshing with a sprocket, but bends as the bushing 3 and the pin 9 slide when meshing with the sprocket or the like. Therefore, the roller chain 1 needs to supply lubricating oil between the bushing 3 which is the bearing portion 11 and the pin 9.

In the conventional standard roller chain 1, assuming that the distance between the inner surfaces of the pair of outer plates 7 is C and the distance between the outer surfaces of the pair of inner plates 2 is D, the end face of the bushing 3 is outside the inner plate 2 The inner plate 2 and the outer plate 7 face each other with a slight gap A of [(C−D) / 2]. Therefore, although lubricating oil is supplied to the gap A and the lubricating oil is guided to the bearing portion 11, since the gap A is narrow, sufficient lubricating oil can not be supplied to the bearing portion, and the chain It may cause wear and elongation.

Conventionally, a roller chain is known in which a bush is protruded from an outer surface of an inner plate by a predetermined amount and press-fitted and fixed to the inner plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, the roller chain is a seal chain in which a graphite lubricating oil sleeve is interposed between the bush and the pin, or grease is sealed with a seal ring, and from outside the bearing portion between the bush and the pin It does not supply lubricating oil.

JP 2008-190547 A

In the conventional standard roller chain 1, the gap A between the inner plate 2 and the outer plate 7 is narrow, and in oil feeding and drip oiling, careful work is required to feed the narrow gap A accurately. Also, the amount of lubricating oil O that can be held in the narrow gap A is small, and it is necessary to perform troublesome work to always supply an appropriate amount of oil. Further, the lubricating oil O supplied to the gap A between the inner plate 2 and the outer plate 7 spreads due to the adhesive force (surface tension) between the inner plate 2 and the outer plate 7, and is smoothly introduced into the bearing portion 11. Intrusive invasion is considered to be prevented. As a result, the amount of lubricating oil supplied to the bearing portion 11 through the gap A tends to be insufficient, and the friction loss at the bearing portion 11 is large, and wear or rust between the pin 9 and the bushing 3 in sliding contact As a result, problems such as chain wear and elongation occur. In addition, if the lubricating oil is not supplied to the gap A accurately or excessively supplied, the lubricating oil may fly around and cause problems such as dirt or adhesion to a conveyed article.

Further, in the solid lubricated oil-free chain described in Patent Document 1, although the bush protrudes a predetermined amount from the outer surface of the inner plate, a labyrinth structure is formed between the inner plate and the outer plate and intrusion of external dust is caused. This prevents the lubricating oil from being supplied to the bearing through the gap between the inner and outer plates. Similarly, even in the seal chain, although the bush protrudes a predetermined amount from the inner plate and the seal ring is interposed between the inner plate and the outer plate so as to surround the protrusion, the protrusion of the bush is The purpose of this is to prevent excessive compression of the seal ring, and since the seal ring is compressed between the inner and outer plates, lubricating oil is transferred to the bearing through the gap between the inner and outer plates. It can not be supplied.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a roller chain in which the end face of the bushing is in contact with the outer plate, and a predetermined amount of clearance between the inner plate and the outer plate is ensured. is there.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the roller chain comprises an inner link formed by connecting both ends of a pair of inner plates by bushes, and connects both ends of a pair of outer plates by means of pins, and the pins are connected to the bushes. And an outer link connected to the inner link by being fitted, the bush being protruded by a predetermined amount from the outer surface of the inner plate, and an end face of the protruding bush being the inner surface of the outer plate And a predetermined gap is formed between the outer surface of the inner plate and the inner surface of the outer plate, the predetermined gap corresponding to the distance between the inner surfaces of the pair of outer plates. The lubricating oil supplied from the outside is stored in the range of ̃18 [%] and is accumulated around the bush projecting portion protruding from the outer surface of the inner plate through the predetermined gap to form an oil reservoir, and the oil reservoir is formed. Lubricant oil Formed by supplying to the bearing portion between the pin and the bushing passes between the inner surface of the outer plate and the end face of the bushing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the bush is protruded from the outer surface of the inner plate, and the end face of the protruded bush is in contact with the inner surface of the outer plate to secure a predetermined amount of clearance between the inner and outer plates. Therefore, while having a simple configuration, the supply of the lubricating oil to the predetermined gap is made easy and reliable, and the amount of lubricating oil which can be held in the predetermined gap is secured, and the lubricating oil is applied to the bearing portion. As well as being able to be supplied easily and reliably, it is possible to reduce the contamination on the surrounding and the adhesion to the conveyed articles due to the splashing of the lubricating oil. The lubricating oil supplied from the outside is retained as an oil reservoir around the bushing projection by adhesion with the bushing projection, and the predetermined interval forming the oil reservoir is within the outer plate There is a large space of 7 to 18% with respect to the side space, and the amount of lubricating oil held in the oil reservoir is large, and a large amount of lubricating oil held in the oil reservoir is the end face of the bushing and the inner side of the outer link plate. It is reliably introduced into the bearing portion by capillary action due to the narrow gap between them. Thereby, the bearing is lubricated with a sufficient amount of lubricating oil, and the lubricating oil of the bearing is combined with a large amount of lubricating oil held in the oil reservoir by bending of the chain and longitudinal vibration of the bushing relative to the pin. While being appropriately circulated, it is possible to reduce the friction loss of the bearing portion and to suppress the premature wear and rusting of the chain due to the lubrication failure. In addition, by holding a large amount of lubricating oil in the oil reservoir, it is possible to lengthen the oiling interval to facilitate and simplify management, and the lubricating oil for the oil reservoir can be combined with the bush projecting portion The adhesion between the inner and outer plates is held together by the cohesion between them, which does not require a separate member such as a seal ring and a special structure, and the structure is simple and the seal ring etc. There is no friction loss due to this, and transmission efficiency and transport efficiency can be improved.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The front view which shows the roller chain by embodiment of this invention. FIG. The expanded sectional view. The figure which shows the comparison of the wear elongation performance of the conventional chain and the chain concerning this invention. Partially changed sectional view. The expanded sectional view which shows the conventional roller chain.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The roller chain 21 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, connected at both ends of a pair of inner plates 22 and 22 by bushings 23, 23, and the roller 25 is rotatably fitted on the bushing 23. The link 26 and the outer link 30 in which both ends of the two outer plates 27, 27 are connected by the pins 29, 29 are alternately connected by inserting and inserting the pin 29 into the bush 23, thereby forming an endless shape. Configured

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the bush 23 is fixed to the inner plate 22 so as to protrude by a predetermined amount from the outer surface 22 a of the inner plate 22. The outer surface 22a and the inner surface of the inner plate 22 and the outer surface and the inner surface 27b of the outer plate 27 are all flat over the entire surface, and are flat plate members having a predetermined thickness.

The end surfaces 23b of the left and right projecting portions 23a and 23a of the bush 23 protruding from the inner plate 22 abut the inner side surface 27b of the outer plate 27 and the flat outer side surface 22a of the inner plate 22 and the flat outer surface of the outer plate 27 A relatively wide predetermined gap F is formed between the inner side surface 27b. That is, the roller chain 21 has an inner plate 22 and an outer plate 27 having the same plate thickness and the same shape as those of the conventional standard roller chain 1, and has an inner width B which is a distance between both inner sides of the inner plate 22. However, the outer width I, which is the same as the inner width of the conventional standard roller chain 1, but the distance between the outer surfaces of the outer plate 27, is larger than that of the conventional standard roller chain.

Specifically, the roller chain 21 has an inner surface interval B of the inner plate 22, an inner surface interval E of the outer plate 27, a protrusion amount G of the bush 23 from the outer surface of the inner plate 22, and the inner plate 22. Assuming that a predetermined gap between the outer surface of the outer plate 27 and the inner surface of the outer plate 27 is F, the predetermined gap F is 7 to 18%, preferably 12 to 15 with respect to the inner surface E of the outer plate. The protrusion amount G is 79 to 91%, preferably 89 to 91%, with respect to the predetermined gap F.

Since the roller chain 21 is configured as described above, the roller chain 21 travels by being wound around a device such as a conventional sprocket. The roller chain 21 is used for power transmission or article conveyance, and the end face 23b of the bush projecting portion 23a is outside even if a relatively wide predetermined gap F exists between the inner link 26 and the outer link 30. Because the inner link 26 and the outer link 30 abut against the inner side surface 27b of the plate 27, the inner link 26 and the outer link 30 do not rattle in the width direction.

The lubricating oil O is supplied from the relatively wide predetermined gap F by dripping oil feeding during traveling of the roller chain 21 or by oil feeding during traveling. Under the present circumstances, the lubricating oil O can be reliably supplied reliably, without combining lubricating oil with the circumference | surroundings by matching the predetermined | prescribed clearance gap F and the oil supply port of a drop nozzle or an oil separator. The lubricating oil O supplied to the gap F is held by adhesion (surface tension) in a predetermined gap F between the outer surface 22 a of the flat inner plate 22 and the inner surface 27 b of the outer plate 27. That is, the lubricating oil O supplied from the outside is held in the wide predetermined gap F (= 0.07 to 0.18 E) by the adhesive force between both plates, in particular, the adhesive force with the bush projecting portion 23a. The oil reservoir 35 is sufficient to secure a sufficient amount. The lubricating oil O accumulated in the oil reservoir 35 around the bush projection 23a is capillary-induced in the gap (F-G) between the bush end face 23b and the outer plate inner side surface 27b, as well as the pins of the bush 23 The gap between the end face 23 b of the bush 23 and the inner side surface 27 b of the outer plate 27 is guided to the bearing portion 11 by the pump action by the axial relative movement (vibration) with respect to 29 and the bending of the inner link 26 and the outer link 30. As a result, the pin 29 and the bush 23 come in sliding contact with each other with sufficient lubrication. As a result, the roller chain 21 travels in a state in which a sufficient lubricating oil is secured in the bearing portion 11, and prevents the occurrence of premature fatigue or rust due to insufficient lubrication, and travels with high accuracy over a long period of time Can be maintained.

In particular, when the roller chain 21 is used for transporting an article such as a can, drip oiling or forced pump lubrication is applied to set the amount of dripping more, and the multiple droplets dropped from the relatively wide gap F are set. The lubricating oil of the eye is guided to the bearing portion 11 while being held in the gap F, and the conveying speed of the roller chain 21 can be increased to enhance the conveying capacity based on the sufficient amount of lubricating oil O It becomes. At this time, the lubricating oil O can be held in the predetermined gap F, and the lubricating oil supplied from the dripping oil etc. is scattered around to contaminate the apparatus or adhere to the article. It is possible to reduce the complexity of post-processing.

If the predetermined gap F is smaller than 7% with respect to the outer plate inner side surface distance E, the supply of the lubricating oil O to the predetermined gap F and securement of the lubricating oil by the oil reservoir 35 are not easy. If it is larger than 18%, the retention of the lubricating oil by the adhesive force (surface tension) with the inner plate outer surface 22a and the outer plate inner surface 27b becomes insufficient, and the lubricating oil tends to scatter. In addition, when the protrusion amount G of the bush protrusion 23a is smaller than 79% with respect to the predetermined gap F, the width direction rattling of the chain becomes large, which hinders smooth conveyance and drive by the roller chain. If it is larger than 91%, the gap between the bushing end face 23b and the outer plate inner side surface 27b becomes smaller, and the lubricating oil from the oil reservoir 35 around the bushing due to the predetermined gap F to the bearing portion 11 Inadequate delivery of

The bearing 11 between the bush 23 and the pin 29 is axially elongated due to the projection of the bush 23 with the predetermined projection amount G from the inner plate outer surface 22a described above, and the lubrication in a wide area by the sufficient lubricating oil Thus, the above-described lubrication of the roller chain is ensured. That is, since the amount of bush projection is 79 to 91% with respect to the predetermined interval, in conjunction with the fact that the predetermined interval is 7 to 18% with respect to the outer link plate width, A large amount of lubricating oil can be held in the oil reservoir around the above-mentioned bushing projection, and by the capillary action by the narrow gap between the end face of the bushing and the inner surface of the outer link plate and the pumping action by the bushing longitudinal vibration Oil can be supplied to the bearings and circulated. Further, the bearing length of the bush and the pin is increased with respect to the meshing width with the sprocket defined based on the distance between the inner side surfaces of the inner link plate, and the lubrication of the above-mentioned bearing portion is ensured. Vibration in the longitudinal direction of the pin can be maintained at a predetermined amount.

FIG. 4 is a diagram comparing the wear elongation of a conventional standard roller chain (thin line) and a roller chain (thick line) according to the present invention. The conditions for the comparison test are: refueling amount: 72 cm ² , refueling interval: 2 hours 30 minutes, ambient temperature: 210 ° C., rotation speed: 460 rpm, tension: 150 kgf. The roller chain according to the present invention has about three times the friction elongation performance as compared with the conventional roller chain.

In the embodiment, the end face 23b of the bushing 23 abuts on or approaches the inner side surface 27b of the outer plate 27 on the entire circumferential surface, so the amount of lubricating oil guided to the bearing portion 11 from the gap is limited. There is a possibility. An embodiment in which the limitation is eliminated will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. A predetermined number of grooves 31 having a predetermined depth are formed in the protrusion 23 a of the bush 23 from the end face 23 b inward in the width direction. The end face 23b of the bush 23 abuts the inner side face 27b of the outer plate 27 at a portion other than the groove 31 so that the predetermined gap F is maintained. The lubricating oil O held in the gap F is introduced to the bearing portion 11 through the groove 31 in addition to the gap between the above-described bushing end face 23b and the outer plate inner side surface 27b. As a result, a relatively large amount of lubricating oil can be smoothly and reliably guided to the bearing portion 11, and the amount of lubricating oil corresponding to the speedup of the roller chain 21 described above can be reliably and accurately supplied to the bearing portion 11. It becomes.

The number, the groove width and the groove shape of the grooves 31 formed in the bush projecting portion 23a are the adhesion of the lubricating oil to the bush projecting portion 23a, that is, the retention of oil reservoir around the bush projecting portion based on the predetermined gap F. It is appropriately set in consideration of the force and the amount of lubricating oil required for the bearing portion 11. Further, the groove 31 may be formed obliquely with respect to the width direction to secure the amount of supplied lubricating oil. Instead of the groove, a through hole may be formed in the bush projecting portion 23a, and in short, a communicating portion may be formed to communicate the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the bush projecting portion, and the communication portion The lubricating oil is led to the bearing portion 11 from the predetermined gap F through (31).

Since the communication portion is formed in the bush projecting portion, the lubricating oil supplied to the predetermined gap passes through the communication portion while the bush end face abuts against the inner side surface of the outer plate to secure the predetermined gap. Can be reliably guided to the bearing portion. This makes it possible to increase the traveling speed of the roller chain by supplying a sufficient amount of lubricating oil to the bearing in combination with, for example, increasing the amount of lubricating oil supplied by, for example, dripping oil supply, etc. The present invention can be applied to a transport roller chain to improve the transport capacity of articles. Further, since the communicating portion is a groove, it can be easily formed, and by adjusting the number of grooves, groove width and the like, the amount of lubricating oil to the bearing portion can be easily set.

Although the embodiment described above has been described as applied to a single-row roller chain, the present invention is not limited thereto. A double-row roller chain such as a double-row roller chain in which a plurality of single-row roller chains are arranged in the width direction It is equally applicable. In this case, the inside of the outer plate is an intermediate plate.

The present roller chain can be used as a roller chain for conveyance or power transmission, and is particularly suitable for use in a roller chain without a seal.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the following claims are attached to disclose the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 bearing part 21 roller chain 22 inner plate 22a outer surface 23 bush 23a protrusion part 23b end surface 25 roller 26 inner link 27 outer plate 27b inner side surface 29 pin 30 outer link 31 communicating part (groove)
35 Oil Reservoir E Outer Plate Inner Side Space F Predetermined Clearance G Bushing O Amount Lubricating Oil

Claims (4)

An inner link in which both ends of a pair of inner plates are connected by bushings,
And an outer link connected to the inner link by connecting the both ends of a pair of outer plates with a pin and inserting the pin into the bush.
The bush protrudes a predetermined amount from the outer surface of the inner plate, the end face of the protruded bush abuts the inner surface of the outer plate, and the space between the outer surface of the inner plate and the inner surface of the outer plate Form a predetermined gap,
The predetermined gap is in the range of 7 to 18% with respect to the distance between the inner surfaces of the pair of outer plates,
Lubricant oil supplied from the outside is stored around the bush projecting part which protrudes from the outer surface of the inner plate through the predetermined gap to form an oil reservoir, and the lubricant oil of the oil reservoir is the end face of the bush and the oil Supplying a bearing portion between the bushing and the pin through between the inner surface of the outer plate and
Roller chain. The protrusion length of the bush protrusion is in the range of 79 to 91% with respect to the predetermined gap.
The roller chain according to claim 1. The bush projecting portion is formed with a communicating portion for communicating the inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the bushing.
The roller chain according to claim 1 or 2. The communication portion is a groove of a predetermined depth formed from an end face of the bush.
The roller chain according to claim 3.

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